Big fine, ban for Kiwi jockey after Cup
Kiwi jockey Michael Walker has been fined A$10,000 and suspended for seven race meetings for excessive use of the whip during the Melbourne Cup yesterday.
The expat New Zealander, who has lived in Melbourne for more than a decade, finished third on Prince of Arran in the cup, but was promoted to second behind Vow and Declare, because racing’s judiciary upheld a protest against Master of Reality interfering with Il Paradiso.
But after reviewing the race, stewards made a dent into the A$55,000 prizemoney that Walker got for finishing second.
He was found to have used the whip 12 times before the final 100m. Only five whip strikes are allowed.
At the stewards hearing, Walker pleaded guilty, news.com. au reported.
‘‘I broke the rules that we have in place,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m not one that generally breaks the rules with regards to whip.
‘‘It’s the Melbourne Cup. I was just throwing everything to see if I could win the race. It’s not like it was a maiden at Echuca. It’s the Melbourne Cup,’’ Walker said, news.com.au reported.
Walker was a champion apprentice in New Zealand before eventually making his home in Melbourne. Ironically, he finished third in the cup last year, on Prince of Arran.
Vow And Declare’s win came in a desperate finish involving four horses. He took a rails run and surged ahead when it counted to win.
The four-year-old gelding was the first Australian-bred winner since Shocking in 2009.
The winner was trained by Australian Danny O’Brien and ridden by Australian jockey Craig Williams. It was the first win for both trainer and jockey.
Kiwi-bred-and-trained runner
The Chosen One, bred in Southland and trained at Cambridge by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, finished 17th of the 24 runners, though was only 5.2 lengths from the winner.
‘‘Coming from second last and having a checkered passage in a slowly run race. Only three horses ran a faster last 600m,’’ Forsman tweeted after the race.
The other Kiwi-bred runner, Surprise Baby, finished fifth.
‘‘He ran super. I just had nothing to take me into the race from the 800 [metres] but he’ll be back bigger and better next year,’’ jockey Jordan Childs said. CHAOS, CARNAGE